ACADIA    MILLS 


ACADIA  MILLS,  Lawrence,  Mass. 

Manufacturers,  Mercerizers,  Bleachers  and  Dyers  of 

COMBED  COTTON  YARNS,  SEINE  TWINES 
SEWING  and  SHOE  THREADS 

for  llie  VV'eavin}4,   Knittinti,  Garment   Makinj*  anJ 
Shoe  Trade 

I'nsurpassed  in  Quality 


AWRKNCE.  MASS. 


WILLIAM  WHITMAN  COMPANY,  Inc. 

Selling  Agetits 


BOSTON 

7.S  Chaiincy  St. 

NEW  YORK 

L'.T  .^Iadi^(>n  .\vf. 


•HILADELF^HIA 

;iOO  Che.'^fiiut  St. 

CHICAGO 
2(),S  S.  l.aSalle  St. 


CONTRASTS 


CONTRASTS 


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1 


PUIVATEI-Y    I'UIXrEI)    HV  fij 

THE    ACADIA     MILLS 

LAWUEXC'K,    MASS. 
1918 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

NCSU  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/contrastsOOgrie 


J\  Limited  Edition  printed  by  the 
Acadia  Mills  for  those  interested 
in  the  development  of  the  cotton 
industry  from  primitive  methods  of 
spinning  and  weaving  to  the  processes 
of  today  without  change  in  basic 
principles  of  manufacture  other  than 
the  use  of  power. 


THE  manufacture  of  textiles,  and  in  par- 
ticular of  cotton  textiles,  is  an  industry 
of  the  utmost  service  in  supph^ing  the 
needs  of  our  country.  The  uses  of  cotton  are 
beyond  number,  and  the  growth  of  its  manufac- 
ture is  one  of  the  great  industrial  achievements 
of  the  past  decade.  So  prosi:)erous  and  efficient 
has  the  cotton  industry  become,  meeting  ever}- 
human  want  with  the  greatest  economy,  thanks 
to  large-scale  i:)roduction  and  distribution,  that 
it  is  easy  to  forget  its  primitive  beginnings. 

Nothing  so  aptly  illustrates  the  origin  of 
cotton  manufacture  as  a  study  of  the  methods 
and  imi)lements  used  by  the  natives  of  India. 
In  a  rare  and  little  known  volume  entitled 
''Bihar  Peasant  Life,"  by  George  A.  Grier- 
son.  Fellow  of  the  University  of  Calcutta,  is 
found  a  descrii)tion  in  some  detail  of  s])inning 
and  weaving  as  ])ractised  by  the  East  Indians. 

[7] 


The  Acadia  Mills,  having  had  a  number 
of  inquiries  as  to  the  period  of  spinning  de- 
picted in  its  trademark,  takes  pleasure  in  reprint- 
ing this  section  of  that  book,  in  the  earnest 
hope  that  it  may  prove  of  interest  and  value  in 
recalling  the  early  processes  and  tools  of  a  great 
industr3^  A  comparison  between  these  primi- 
tive methods  and  those  of  today  is  most  im- 
pressive. The  same  principles  in  the  prepara- 
tion, spinning  and  weaving  of  cotton  are  found 
in  use  todaj^  as  then,  but  with  power  machin- 
ery replacing  the  labor  of  human  hands.  Indeed 
it  is  this  substitution  of  power  for  hand  labor, 
together  with  new  processes  of  finishing,  mer- 
cerizing and  djing,  that  enables  the  cotton 
manufacturer  of  today  to  meet  the  increasing 
demands  for  cotton  fabrics  for  all  purposes. 


THE   SPINNING    WHEEL 


THE   SPINNING-WHEEL 

THE  following  diary  shows  the  process  of 
spinning  thread  and  making  cloth  in  the 
subdivision  of  ISIadhubani,  in  Northeast  Tir- 
hut,  in  the  year  1879: 

On  September  20  the  writer  bought  twent}^- 
four  sers  of  cotton,  being  a  day's  plucking 
on  a  sunn}^  day  from  about  a  bigha  and  a 
half  of  cotton  field.  The  cotton  bdnga  was 
of  the  kind  called  kokti,  which  ripens  in 
the  month  of  Bhddon  (August-September). 
It  was  i)ulled  out  of  the  husks  from  the  tree. 

September  20-26.  During  this  time  the  cot- 
ton has  been  drying  in  the  sun,  and  now 
(26th)  two  old  women  are  employed  to 
clean  it,  picking  out  the  dirty  and  imma- 
ture cotton,  called  karkut.  This  is  princi- 
pally' comi)osed  of  seeds  which  have  come 
to  nothing  and  been  worm-eaten.  This 
cleaning  is  done  by  hand.  It  lasted  to 
September  30. 

October  1.  Commenced  to  i?e])arate  the 
seeds,  hangaur,  from  the  bdnga.     This  is 

[11] 


done  by  a  ir'^'^hine  called  charkhi,  which 
consists  of  tw^o  rollers,  about  an  inch  thick, 
of  hard  wood  tightly  wedged  one  above 
the  other;  both  rollers  are  supported  in 
uprights,   the  ends  passing  through.     At 
one  end  the  lower  roller  is  turned  by  a 
handle,  and  has  at  the  other  end,  where  it 
projects  from  the  upright,  a  screw  cut  in 
it.    The  same  end  of  the  upper  screw  has 
a  reversed  screw  cut  in  it,  and  these  two 
screws  fitting  into  each  other  act  like  cog- 
wheels ;  but  when  the  lower  roller  is  turned, 
the  upper  roller  turns  in  the  direction  re- 
verse to  that  of  the  lower  one,  so  that  they 
act  as  a  pair  of  feeders  tightly  wedged  to- 
gether.   The  bdnga,  or  uncleaned  cotton,  is 
then  applied  to  the  feeding  side  of  the  two 
rollers,  and  on  the  handle  being  turned  the 
cotton  is  pulled  forcibly  through  by  their 
revolution,  while  the  seeds  remain  behind 
and  fall  down  to  the  ground. 
The  two  upright  standards  are  called  khunta, 
and  each  of  the  rollers  jdthi,  or  in  Saran  sanrdri. 
Underneath  the  rollers  is  a  cross-bar,  called  kal, 
joining  the  two  uprights  and  holding  the  ma- 
chine together.     The  khunti  is  a  wedge  going 
through  each  upright  from  front  to  back,  under 
fl2  1 


Machine  for  Cleaning  Raw  ('otton  (Charki) 


-^ 


the  cross-bar  and  holding  it  and  the  roller  in 
their  places. 

The  pachri  are  the  wedges  running  sideways 
through  each  upright  and  tightening  the  two  roll- 
ers together.  The  crank  which  turns  the  lower 
roller  is  called  makri,  and  it  is  held  to  it  by  the 
killi,  or  linch-pin.  The  handle  at  the  other  end 
of  the  crank,  which  is  held  in  the  hand,  and  by 
which  the  machine  is  turned,  is  called  Idgani, 
or  in  Saran  chalauni  and  in  Gaya  hathauri. 

The  base  of  the  machine  in  which  the  up- 
rights rest  is  called  pirha,  or  to  the  west  pirhiya, 
and  out  of  this  projects  behind,  along  the 
ground,  the  majhiva,  on  which  the  foot  of  the 
operator  is  placed  to  keep  the  machine  steady. 

The  cotton,  when  cleaned  from  the  seeds  by 
this  machine,  is  called  n7,  rili,  or  ti2r  —  the  last 
by  women  of  the  upper  Hindu  castes,  and  the 
two  first  by  Musalmans  and  low-caste  Hindus. 
Rua  is  used  in  Shahabad. 

The  above  lasted  three  days.  It  was  then 
again  cleaned  {tunab,  tunnab,  or  (in  Shahabad) 
tumab,  to  clean),  the  few  remaining  pieces  of 
husk,  etc.,  being  picked  out  by  hand. 

October  21.  The  cotton  was  today  ])ut  out 
in  the  sun  preparatory  to  being  carded 
{dhunab,  to  card). 

[15  1 


October  22.  Today  two  cotton-carders 
(dhuniya)  came  to  card  the  cotton.  Each 
brought  with  him  a  machine,  called  a 
dhimki,  or  to  the  west  dhanuhi.  In  Ciaya 
it  is  dhiinethi,  in  South  Hunger  and  South- 
east Tirhut  dhunaith,  and  in  South  Bha- 
galpur  dhunhath. 

It  is  composed  of  the  following  parts : 


(a)  The  flexible  piece  of  wood  acting  as  a 
bow,  called  danti  or  danta  to  the  east 
and  ddnri  to  the  west. 

{b)  A  broad  wooden  board,  called  phareha 
in  Northeast  Tirhut.  In  Southwest 
Tirhut  it  is  pharavt a,  in  South  Bhagal- 
pur  pharuha,  and  elsewhere  as  pharha. 

(c)  The  bridge  over  which  the  string  is 
passed,  mdngi.  In  Shahabad  and  also 
optionally  in  East  Tirhut  it  is  mdiha, 

16  1 


I 

5 


1      '-h        ,^  .  ^O 


^^lL^...sliiAilS^ 


ill   South  Bhagalpur  mathwa,   and  in 
South  Munger  magwdsi. 

(d)  A  leather  string,  called  tdtit.  In  Patna 
and  Gay  a  it  is  also  called  roda. 

(e)  A  leather  strip  acting  as  a  sounding 
board,  Ij'ing  along  the  round  edge  of 
the  phareha,  on  which  the  string  re- 
bounds, called  puchhet  or  puchheta 
generally,  pachhauta  in  Tirhut,  and 
kdnkar  in  Saran  and  Champaran.  In 
Northeast  Tirhut  it  is  pushtail,  and  an 
optional  name  in  Shahabad  is  puch- 
hauia. 

(/)  A  stout  leather  string  along  the  outer 
side  of  the  phareha,  to  one  end  of 
which  the  tdnt  is  attached,  while  the 
other  end  is  fastened  to  the  danti.  It 
is  used  to  tighten  the  tdnt,  and  is 
called  ghirchi  or  ghurchi.  When  pegs 
are  used  for  tightening  this,  the}'  are 
called  blri  or  hiriya. 

(g)  The  hathhar,  hathgar,  or  hathkar,  is  a 
loop  of  string  under  which  the  left 
hand  is  passed  to  hold  the  machine 
steady.  The  above  is  the  name  cur- 
rent in  Northeast  Tirhut.  South  of 
the  Ganges  it  is  also  called  hathkar, 

f  19  1 


with  variants  hathkar  or  hathkara  in 
Shahabad.  In  Northwest  Tirhut  it  is 
hathra,  in  Southwest  Tirhut  and  Saran 
hatha,  and  in  Saran  and  Champaran 
muthwdra . 
(h)  The  mallet  for  twanging  the  bow,  of 
wood,  shaped  like  a  dumb-bell.  It  is 
held  in  the  right  hand,  and  the  tdnt  is 
struck  and  twanged  with  it.  It  is 
called  jista,  and  also  (in  Tirhut  and 
South  Bhagalpur)  dista.  In  Patna  it 
is  called  dasta,  and  in  South  ]\Iunger 
distha. 

In  using  this  instrument  it  is  held  by  the  left 
hand  under  the  hathkar,  which  passes  over  the 
wrist,  and  the  td7it  twanged  in  the  midst  of  the 
cotton  by  the  jista,  which  is  held  in  the  right 
hand.  This  process  loosens  the  texture  of  the 
cotton,  and  causes  all  the  dust  and  dirt  to  fly 
out  of  it.  The  dhunki  is  not  allowed  to  rest  on 
the  ground,  but  is  supported  in  the  air  by  the 
hathkar  passing  over  the  wrist,  and  it  springs 
up  and  down  as  the  tdnt  is  twanged. 

The  whole  pile  of  cleaned  cotton  was  called 
(jothi.  While  this  was  going  on,  two  old  women 
were   called  in  to  make  little   hollow  rolls  of 

[201 


cotton  to  be  made  into  thread.  They  are  called 
to  the  east  pint,  and  to  the  west  piuni  or  pewni. 
A  local  name  in  East  Tirhut  is  plr.  These  are 
about  four  inches  long  and  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
thick.  A  lump  of  clean  cotton,  the  size  of  a  wal- 
nut, is  put  round  a  thin  skewer,  called  pinrhsari, 
and  is  then  rolled  on  a  board,  called  pirhiya, 
with  the  palm  of  the  hand.  These  are  then  tied 
up  in  bundles  of  about  ten  each,  called  mutthi. 

These  jnni  are  now  read}^  for  being  made 
into  thread  in  the  spinning-wheel. 

The  spinning-wheel  is  charkha,  but  in  South- 
west Shahabad  it  is  rahta,  and  in  the  southeast 
jarkha. 

Its  parts  are  as  follows: 

The  Foundation.  This  is  in  the  shape  of  a 
double  letter  T,  thus: 


On  one  of  the  cross-pieces  the  driving  wheel 
stands,  and  on  the  other  the  spinning  apparatus. 

[211 


This  foundation  is  called  plrha  or  pirhiya  to  the 
east,  and  pirhai  to  the  west.  The  connecting 
bar  between  the  two  cross-pieces  is  manjhwa  or 
manjha,  in  Patna  and  Gaya  it  is  latkhora,  and 
in  South  Bhagalpur  manjhdl. 

The  Driving  Wheel.  The  supports  of  the 
driving  wheel  are  called  khunta.  The  wheel  it- 
self is  composed  of  two  parts: 

(a)  The  central  boss  or  nave,  and 
(5)   The  four  spokes  on  each  side  of  the 
nave. 

The  nave  is  called  munri  or  muri  south  of  the 
Ganges,  and  ynunri  or  munriya  north  of  it;  in 
East  Tirhut  it  is  also  tama,  and  in  South  Bha- 
galpur and  South  Hunger  paila.  It  is  about 
five  inches  long  and  four  inches  thick. 

There  are  four  spokes  lying  across  each  end 
of  the  nave  from  one  circumference  to  the 
other;  there  are,  therefore,  eight  radii  on  each 
side,  and  they  are  so  arranged  that  the  radii  on 
each  side  are  not  opposite  each  other,  but  alter- 
nate. Each  of  these  cross  spokes  is  called  putti 
or  pidi,  or  in  Southwest  Shahabad  kamri; 
sometimes  they  are  also  called  khilnta  or  khunti. 

These  spokes  are  held  in  their  places  by  a 
string,  called  awdl  to  the  west,  amwdl  in  Patna 
and  Gaya,  and  amdl  or  amdlh  to  the  east.     In 
[221 


rfj 


South  Munger  it  is  amhdl.  This  string  goes 
round  the  extremities  of  each  radius  of  each 
side  alternately,  thus :  ^\  It  forms,  there- 
fore, a  kind  of  edge  or  /  1  rim  of  a  broad 
wheel,  something  like  ^  \^  a  paddle  wheel, 
and  over  it  i:)asses  the  driving  band  which  turns 
the  spinning  ai:)paratus.  This  paddle  wheel  is 
about  a  foot  in  diameter  and  five  inches  thick. 

The  central  axle  of  the  driving  wheel  is  called 
Icdh,  generalh^  north  of  the  Ganges  and  in  South 
Bhagalpur.  In  Tirhut  it  is  called  jdth,  and  in 
Northeast  Tirhut  also  laith  or  jdlth .  South  of  the 
Ganges  it  is  generally  belna.  It  is  caused  to  re- 
volve b}'  a  crank  end  called  makri,  or  in  Shahabad 
and  West  Tirhut  ndk.  It  is  ddrhi  or  darhiya  else- 
where south  of  the  Ganges,  except  South  Bhagal- 
pur, where  it  is  again  makri.  To  this  is  attached 
a  handle,  called  to  the  west  and  in  Ga3^a  chalauna, 
and  to  the  east  lama  or  Idrani.  In  Southwest 
Shahabad  it  is  called  bhaunti  or  hhdmicat,  and 
in  Saran  optionalh^  chalauni. 

The  Driving  Band  is  called  mdl  or  mdlh. 
It  is  rubbed  with  rosin  {dhuman)  and  oil  {tel), 
and  is  then  blackened  with  charcoal  (koela). 
The  driving  band  goes  twice  round  the  driving 
wheel  and  the  spinning  axle,  once  jmssing 
through  the  tnalkdthi  {vide  post),  and  once  not. 

[251 


The  Spinning  Apparatus.  We  now  come  to 
the  spinning  apparatus.  There  are  three  per- 
pendicular uprights.  The  two  outside  ones  are 
called  khunti,  and  the  middle  one  is  called  mal- 
kdthi.  In  Patna  these  three  uprights  are  called 
together  pachkathiya,  and  in  Southwest  Shaha- 
bad  khuntiputti.  The  two  outside  ones  support 
the  bearings  of  the  sjiinning  axle,  and  the 
centre  one  has  in  its  length,  facing  the  driving 
wheel  and  going  right  through  its  thickness,  a 
long  slot  cut.  One  of  the  strings  of  the  driving 
band  passes  through  this  slot,  and  the  other 
passes  outside  it,  so  that  the  double  turn  round 
the  spinning  axle  can  never  get  jammed  up 
together,  and  so  entangled. 

On  the  two  outside  uprights,  on  the  side 
furthest  from  the  driving  wheel,  project  two 
stiff  pieces  of  leather,  called  chamrakh.  These 
form  the  bearings  of  the  spinning  axle,  which 
passes  through  them. 

The  Spinning  Axle.  This  is  called  takua, 
and  also  to  the  west  tekua.  It  is  an  iron  skewer 
about  eight  inches  long  and  an  eighth  of  an  inch 
thick  at  the  thickest  part.  It  projects  a  dis- 
tance of  three  inches  beyond  its  bearing  on  the 
same  side  as  the  handle  of  the  driving  wheel. 
This  bearing  has  on  each  side  two  little  pieces 
126  1 


of  wood  fitting  on  to  the  spinning  axle,  which 
act  as  washers,  and  are  called  chhuchchhi.  Out- 
side the  outer  washer  on  the  spinning  axle  is  a 
flat  disc  called  phirki,  and  two  and  a  half  inches 
of  the  axle  project  beyond  it. 

The  driving  band,  after  passing  twice  round 
the  driving  wheel,  passes  through  the  malkdthi, 
then  twice  round  the  spinning  axle,  and  then 
back  to  the  driving  wheel  outside  the  malkdthi; 
and  it  is  evident  that  even  the  slow  turning  of 
the  driving  wheel  will  make  the  spinning  axle 
revolve  at  a  very  high  speed  indeed. 

In  spinning,  the  projecting  point  of  the  spin- 
ning axle  has  a  short  length  of  thread  attached 
to  it,  and  then,  while  the  handle  of  the  driving 
wheel  is  turned  with  the  right  hand,  a  roll  of 
cotton  (pinl)  is  held  in  the  left  hand  between 
the  finger  and  thumb,  and  the  cotton,  being 
quickly  caught  up  by  the  length  of  thread,  is 
drawn  off  in  the  shape  of  thread  on  to  the 
quickly  revolving  spinning  axle. 

When  the  projecting  point  of  the  spinning 
axle  is  filled  with  thread,  the  whole  is  called  a 
kukri,  or  in  Saran  kukurhi,  and  is  wound  off  on 
a  winder,  called  paiia  or  pareta.  It  is  also  called 
in  Southwest  Tirhut  nativa,  and  in  East  Tirhut 
lahva  or  natica.    In  South  Bhagal])ur  it  is  called 


natal.  This  is  like  an  ordinary  silk  winder. 
The  handle  (chalauna)  of  the  driving  wheel  is 
taken  out  of  its  socket  in  the  crank  iinakri), 
and  in  its  place  is  placed  one  end  of  the  axle  of 
the  winder.  The  other  end  is  held  in  the  right 
hand,  and  is  revolved  between  the  finger  and 
thumb.  The  winder  is  conical  in  sha])e,  and 
does  not  need  further  description.  It  will  hold 
half  a  quarter  of  a  ser  of  thread  at  a  time. 
When  it  is  filled,  the  thread  is  taken  off  and  tied 
in  hanks.  These  are  generally  pola,  poli,  or 
poliya.  Local  names  are  natti  (Northeast  Tir- 
hut),  latti  (Patna  and  Gaya),  and  karchi  in 
Southwest  Shahabad. 

The  diary  breaks  off  here  temporaril}',  as  the 
spinning  of  this  particular  cotton  was  not  done 
in  the  writer's  presence.  He  wished  the  thread 
to  be  si)un  as  fine  as  possible,  and  as  this  could 
only  be  done  by  Brahmani  women,  who  would 
not  come  to  a  strange  house,  this  part  of  the 
work  was  done  by  them  at  home. 


28 


THE   WEAVER'S   LOOM 


THE   WEAVER'S    LOOM 

rriHE  following  is  a  continuation  of  the  same 
-L    diar}'. 

January  18,  1880.    The  skeins  of  fine  thread 
were  brought  to  me  today,  and  were  put 
in   water   to   soak   for   eight   days.     This 
strengthens  it. 
January   27.     After   they   had   soaked   this 
period  I  sent  for  a  weaver.    A  Muhamma- 
dan  weaver  is  jolha  or  momin,  a  Hindu 
weaver  is  tantwa  or  fdnti,  or,  in  Shahabad 
tdnto.     Sometimes  the  Hindi  word  joldha 
is  used  instead  oi  jolha. 
The  Musalman  weaver  or  jolha  is  the  pro- 
verbial fool  of  Hindu  stories  and  proverbs.    He 
swims  in  the  moonlight  across  fields  of  flowering 
linseed,  thinking  the  blue  color  to  be  caused  bj^ 
water.     He  hears  his  family  priest  reading  the 
Quran,  and  bursts  into  tears  to  the  gratification 
of  the  reader.    When  pressed  to  tell  what  part 
affected  him  most,  he  says  it  was  not  that,  but 
the  wagging  beard  of  the  old  gentleman  so  much 
reminded  him  of  a  pet  goat  which  had  died. 
When  forming  one  of  a  company  of  twelve  he 

[311 


tries  to  count  them,  and  finding  himself  miss- 
ing wants  to  perform  his  own  funeral  obsequies. 
He  finds  the  rear  peg  of  a  plough,  and  wants  to 
set  up  farming  on  the  strength  of  it.  He  gets 
into  a  boat  at  night,  and  forgets  to  pull  up  the 
anchor.  After  rowing  till  dawn  he  finds  himself 
where  he  started,  and  concludes  that  the  only 
explanation  is  that  his  native  village  could  not 
bear  to  lose  him,  and  had  followed  him.  If 
there  are  eight  weavers  and  nine  hukkas,  they 
fight  for  the  odd  one.  Once  on  a  time  a  crow 
carried  off  to  the  roof  of  the  house  some  bread 
which  a  weaver  had  given  his  child.  Before 
giving  the  child  any  more  he  took  the  precau- 
tion of  removing  the  ladder.  Like  the  English 
fool,  he  always  gets  unmerited  blows.  For  in- 
stance, he  once  went  to  see  a  ram  fight  and  got 
butted  himself,  as  the  saying  runs : 

Karigah  chhdr  tamdsa  jay, 
Ndhak  chot  joldha  khdy. 

"Jie  left  his  loom  to  see  the  fun,  and  for  no  rea- 
son got  a  bruising."  Another  story  (told  by 
Fallon)  is,  that  being  told  by  a  soothsayer  that 
it  was  written  in  his  fate  that  his  nose  would 
be  cut  off  with  an  axe,  the  weaver  was  incredu- 
lous, and  taking  up  an  axe,  kept  flourishing  it, 
saying,  yon  karba  ta  gov  kdtbon,  yon  karha  ta 
f32l 


hath  katbon,  aur  yon  karba  tah  nd — ,  if  I  do  so 
I  cut  my  leg,  and  if  I  do  so  I  cut  m}^  hand;  but 
unless  I  do  so  my  no — ,  and  his  nose  was  off.  A 
proverb  Jo//? rt  janathi  jau  kdtai  —  does  a  weaver 
know  how  to  cut  barle}''  —  refers  to  a  story  (in 
Fallon)  that  a  weaver,  unable  to  pay  his  debt,  was 
set  to  cut  barley  by  his  creditor,  who  thought  to 
repay  himself  in  this  wa3^  But  instead  of  reaping, 
the  stupid  fellow  kept  trying  to  untwist  the  tangled 
barley  stems.  Other  proverbs  at  his  expense  are 
kaua  chalal  bds  ken,  joiha  chalal  ghds  ken,  —  the 
weaver  went  out  to  cut  grass  (at  sunset),  when 
even  the  crows  were  going  home;  jolha  bhutiaildh 
tisikhet, — the  weaver  lost  his  way  in  the  linseed 
field,  an  illusion  to  the  swimming  exploit  already 
recorded.  Plis  wife  bears  an  equally  bad  char- 
acter, as  in  the  proverb  bahsali  jolhini  bdpak 
ddnrhi  noche,  —  a  wilful  weaver's  wife  will  pull 
her  own  father's  beard. 

The  weaver  proceeded  to  set  up  in  the  ground 
seventeen  pairs  of  sticks  in  two  lines,  at  a  dis- 
tance between  each  pair  of  about  one  and  a 
quarter  cubits,  and  between  the  lines  of  about 
two  cubits.  At  each  end  of  each  line  a  stout 
bamboo  post  is  fixed,  and  close  to  each  of  those 
at  one  end  another  smaller  stafT.  Round  these 
sticks  the  thread  is  twisted  as  follows: 

[33  1 


A,  A,  A,  A,  are  the  tops  of  the  bamboo  posts, 
and  the  dots  are  the  tops  of  the  smaller  sticks. 

This  operation  of  setting  the  warp  is  called 
tdnikarab,  or  in  Shahabad  tana  karab.  The 
bamboo  posts  are  called  khilnti,  and  each  stick, 
sar.  These  last  are  called  in  Saran,  Champaran, 
and  Northwest  Tirhut  sarka. 

The  sticks  immediatelj'  in  front  of  the  bam- 
boo posts  are  called  to  the  west  chhitua,  in  Sha- 
habad chhipki,  and  to  the  east  chhitki,  also  in 
Northeast  Tirhut  dorik  sar.  The  whole  appa- 
ratus is  called  tdni,  or  in  vShahabad  tana,  and 
the  thread  to  be  stretched  is  put  on  a  kind  of 
pyramidal  reel  called  charkhi.  It  spins  on  a 
spindle,  called  dagni,  or  in  Sha- 
habad ddngi,  and  in  the  inside 
of  the  apex  of  the  cone  is  a 
cup  called  thori,  or  in  Shahabad 
tholri,  in  South  Munger  thorli, 
and  in  South  Bhagalpur  to'i, 
which  rests  on,  and  revolves 
on  the  point  of,  the  spindle, 
thus: 
[341 


\J 


The  spool  is  composed  of  fourteen  slips  of 
bamboo,  forming  the  framework  of  the  cone, 
fastened  at  equal  distances  round  the  circum- 
ference (chakkar)  of  the  base  of  the  cone,  and 
converging  to  a  point  at  the  top. 

The  spindle  of  the  spool  is  held  in  the  left 
hand,  and  the  weaver  walks  up  and  down  be- 
tween the  two  lines  of  thread,  directing  the 
thread  by  a  hook  called  khunri  or  kJionri, 
or  in  Southwest  Shahabad  khunda,  in  South 
Munger  khundi,  and  in  Northeast  Tirhut  and 
Shahabad  khunra,  and  shaped  as  follows: 
The  hook  at  the  top  is  made  of  iron.  U 

February  5,  1880.  The  warp  having  now 
been  all  set  upon  the  sticks  {sar),  the.y 
were,  with  the  khunti,  pulled  up,  rolled  up, 
and  put  by  till  today.  Today  they  were 
unrolled  and  laid  out  in  a  long  line  on  the 
grass.  The  khunti  were  then  carefully 
drawn  out,  and  a  bamboo  staff,  called 
sirdi^  (or  sirdri),  put  in  the  place  of  each. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  sar  were  in 
pairs,  and  that  at  each  pair  the  thread 
crossed  thus  ^X^^  Another  kind  of 
sar  is  now  taken,  made  like  a  long  shallow 
bow,  except  that  the  string  is  made  of  a 
thin  strip  of  bamboo.     This  bow  is  called 

[351 


sutri,  or  in  Tirhut  banhka.  The  arch  of 
the  bow  is  also  made  of  bamboo.  The 
bamboo  string  is  called  dori.  The  arch  of 
the  bow  is  now  passed  through  the  threads 
where  one  of  the  old  sar  was,  and  the  bam- 
boo string  through  where  the  other  sar  of 
the  pair  was,  so  that  the  cross  of  the 
threads  is  still  i)reserved.  The  bow  and 
string  are  then  fastened  to  each  other  at 
each  end.  The  arches  of  the  various  bows 
all  face  one  way.  The  warp  is  then  laid 
out  on  the  ground,  and  the  threads  neatly 
spread  out  upon  the  bows  in  parallel  lines, 
to  the  width  of  the  future  piece  of  cloth. 

February  9.  The  thread  thus  arranged  was 
rolled  up,  dipped  into,  and  well  wet  with 
cold  rice  water  [indnr),  to  which  some 
marua  seeds  had  been  added  to  stiffen  it. 
It  was  then  unrolled  and  stretched  out 
horizontall}^  at  a  height  of  three  feet  from 
the  ground  and  brushed  with  a  large 
brush,  called  kfmch,  dii^ped  in  mustard  oil 
and  water,  which  smooths  the  threads 
and  takes  away  any  knots  or  inequalities 
in  the  thread.  This  brush  is  also  called 
majna  in  West  Tirhut,  mdnja  in  South 
Bhagalpur,  and  mdnjan  in  Southwest  Sha- 

I  36  1 


habad.  The  cross  sticks  on  which  the 
thread  rests  are  called  nidnjha,  and  the 
cross  bamboos  at  each  end  are  thenghni  or 
Idthi  dor  to  the  west,  gora  to  the  east, 
khasraiya  in  Northwest  Tirhut,  dhattha 
also  in  Northeast  Tirhut,  dhdntha  in  South 
Bhagalpur,  and  Idthi  also  in  Southeast 
Tirhut.  This  brushing  is  hard  work,  and 
takes  eight  men  to  do  it  properly.  The 
brushing  is  along  the  threads,  and  not 
across  them.  The  bristles  of  the  brush  are 
made  of  khaskhas,  called  also  in  Saran 
katra  ke  jar,  such  as  is  used  for  tatties, 
and  are  about  two  and  a  half  inches  long. 
The  brush  itself  is  about  a  foot  long  and 
two  inches  wide.  The  brushing  went  on 
for  three  days,  and  is  called  pdi  karab,  and 
also  in  east  Tirhut  tdsan  karab.  The  phrase 
di  pdi  means  the  brushing  and  other  prep- 
arations, and  there  is  a  proverb,  jolha  ke 
di  pdi,  chamra  ke  bihdn  —  when  a  weaver 
says  the  cloth  will  be  soon  ready,  as  he 
is  now  brushing  it,  don't  believe  him, 
an}^  more  than  you  believe  a  shoemaker 
who  says,  "The  boots  will  be  ready 
tomorrow." 


37 


When  this  was  concluded,  the  threads  were 
put  into  the  loom  and  woven  at  the  rate  of  a 
yard  a  day.  The  Loom  is  little  different  from 
that  used  in  England.  It  is  called  karigah  to 
the  west  and  kargah  to  the  east.  It  consists  of 
the  following  parts: 

(1)  The  Shuttle.  This  is  dharki  in  Gaya 
and  to  the  west,  and  kaparhinni  or  ka- 
parblni  to  the  east.  In  Northeast  Tir- 
hut  it  is  also  called  kaparni. 

(2)  The  Needle  inside  the  shuttle,  on 
which  the  thread  is  wound,  is  tiri,  and 
the  tube  which  revolves  on  this  chhuch- 
chhi,  or  in  Shahabad  chhunchhi.  When 
thread  is  wound  on  this  tube  the  whole 
is  called  narl,  also  in  East  Tirhut  lari. 
This  is  held  in  its  place  in  the  hollow  of 
the  shuttle  by  a  pin  made  of  a  feather. 
This  is  called  pakhnari  to  the  west  and 
in  Southeast  Tirhut,  btr  in  South  Bha- 
galpur,  and  pakhblr  or  pakhedri  to  the 
east.  A  weaver  estimates  his  work  b}^ 
the  number  of  7iari  which  he  uses  up,  as 
in  the  proverb  in  which  he  is  supposed 
to  address  a  man  who  has  seized  him  to 
carry  a  load,  tangbah  ta  tangah,  nahin 
ta  nan  narlk  harkati  hoet  —  if  you  must 

[381 


-   :S   S  R 


TO  ■*  IC  tc 


3    ^    --    S 


CD 

O 


<! 


load  me,   load    me    ciuickly,   otherwise 
the  time  of  nine  shuttles  will  be  wasted. 

(3)  The  Wooden  Frame  suspended  from 
the  roof,  which  after  the  shuttle  passes 
is  pulled  forward  by  the  weaver  and 
drives  the  thread  home.  This  is  hatha 
or  hattha  in  West  Shahabad,  Patna,  and 
West  Tirhut,  kamhanr  in  the  west  gen- 
erally, kamhar  in  the  northwest,  and 
kamhanda  in  Gay  a.  In  Northeast  Tir- 
hut  it  is  tana,  and  in  Southeast  Tirhut 
tani.    In  South  Bhagalpur  it  is  tankar. 

(4)  The  Comb  of  reeds  or  bamboo  in  this 
bar,  which  keeps  the  threads  of  the 
warp  apart,  is  called  rdchh. 

(5)  The  Heddles,  which  alternately  raise 
or  depress  the  threads  of  the  warp,  are 
bae  or  bai. 

(6)  The  set  of  three  Reeds  which  is  placed 
in  front  of  the  heddles  to  keep  the  two 
sets  of  the  threads  of  the  warp  ajmrt  is 
atrdwan  north  of  the  Ganges  generally, 
and  in  Shahabad,  and  tardwan  else- 
where south  of  the  Ganges.  Another 
set  of  three  reeds  also  used  is  called 
bhanjni  in  Champaran,  North  Tirhut, 
Gaya,  and  South  Munger,  and  the  two 

[411 


sets  together  are  called  in  Northeast 
Tirhut  atrdwan  hhdnj.  In  Patna  and 
the  southeast  the  reeds  are  also  called 
sar. 

(7)  The  elastic  Bow,  which  keeps  the  woven 
cloth  stretched  in  front  of  the  weaver, 
is  pannik  south  of  the  Ganges;  north  of 
the  Ganges  it  is  pannikh,  and  also  panni 
in  East  Tirhut. 

(8)  The  wooden  Roller,  behind  which  the 
weaver  sits,  and  on  which  the  cloth  is 
wound  up  as  fast  as  it  is  made,  is  in  the 
northwest,  in  West  Shahabad,  and  in 
South  Munger  lapetan;  elsewhere  it  is 
chaupat. 

(9)  This  is  supported  b}^  Posts,  called 
khunta;  also  the  right  and  left  ones  have 
different  names,  viz.,  the  right-hand 
one,  which  passes  through  the  roller 
and  prevents  it  turning  round,  is  jib- 
hela  everywhere,  in  Northeast  Tirhut 
also  jihla,  and  in  Southeast  Tirhut  also 
jihela.  In  South  Bhagalpur  it  is  gdli 
khunta.  The  left-hand  one,  against 
which  the  roller  rests,  is  banghela  north 
of  the  Ganges  everywhere.  Also,  in 
East  Tirhut,  as  also  to  the  west  and 

42  1 


Gaya,  it  is  bamwdri  or  bamwariya,  in 
Shahabad  it  is  also  pachhela,  and  in 
Southwest  Tirhiit  kandhela.  In  South- 
east Tirhut  it  is  also  called  bamaila. 
In  South  Bhagulpar  it  is  simply 
khutta. 

(10)  The  woof  is  supported  at  the  end  op- 
posite the  weaver  by  a  piece  of  wood 
called  kharkaut  to  the  west  and  khar- 
kauti  to  the  east  or  kharkuti  in  South 
Bhagalpur,  which  is  held  up  by  pillars 
called  kanaili  to  the  north  and  west, 
khunta  in  East  Tirhut,  thmn  in  Patna, 
thumbhi  in  Gaya,  and  thumbha  in  the 
east,  and  also  kharko  khunta  in  South 
Bhagalpur. 

(11)  The  woof  is  held  tight  by  a  string, 
which  is  fastened  to  its  end  and  passes 
round  a  peg  at  the  extreme  end  of  the 
loom  and  back  again  up  to  the  weaver, 
where  it  is  fastened  within  his  reach  to 
another  peg.  He  is  thus  able  to  slacken 
the  woof  as  necessary.  The  first  peg  is 
called  agela  ke  khunta,  or  in  Tirhut  sar- 
kauni  ke  khunti;  the  second  peg  is 
called  dorbandha  ke  khunta,  or  in  South 
Bhagalpur  kankilU. 

[431 


(12)  The  Treadle,  which  the  weaver  moves 
with  his  foot,  is  paunsdr  or  pausdr  gen- 
erally, and  in  East  Tirhut  pasdr.  The 
knob  on  this,  held  between  the  w^eaver's 
toes,  is  pautdn. 

(13)  The  Upper  Levers,  to  which  the  hed- 
dles  are  attached,  are  nachni  generally. 
In  East  Tirhut  they  are  lochni,  and  in 
South  Munger  lachni. 

(14)  These  levers  are  fastened  to  an  Upper 
Beam,  which  has  various  names,  viz., 
abher  to  the  west,  bhitbhera  in  Saran 
and  C'hamparan,  dhachdna  in  Southwest 
Tirhut,  dhachdn  or  akdsi  in  Northeast 
Tirhut,  uparkar  in  Southeast  Tirhut, 
karbdr  in  Gaya,  and  kar  in  Patna  and 
South  Munger. 

The  loose  end  of  the  woof  {pdi)  is  called 
sirdra,  and  it  is  wound  up  on  a  tangni,  which  is 
hung  up  out  of  the  way. 


44 


\  UNtVERSTTY 


W 


ACADIA    MILLS 


ACADIA  MILLS,  Lawrence,  Mass. 

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COMBED  COTTON  YARNS,  SEINE  TWINES 
SEWING  and  SHOE  THREADS 

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Shoe  Trade 

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Selling  Agents 


BOSTON 

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